‘Don’t ever count us out’

Mets reliever Brooks Raley takes a swing at some pennant race Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: From your Instagram: “Everything you’ve always wanted is on the other side of fear.”

A: I think that’s life. What is it, 90 percent of people don’t try because of the fear of failure? I think that we have a locker room of people willing to fail, and I think that’s what kind of separates people from succeeding, but a lot of it is just trying.

Q: You never feared failure?

A: No, I definitely did. I say that’s a big thing you have to get over.

Q: At what point did you fear failure?

A: I got a couple of cups of coffee and didn’t really make the most of my first opportunities playing in the big leagues. I got hurt first and ended up going overseas to play in South Korea for five years. That wasn’t the long-term plan, I always signed one-year contracts having to prove myself each year. And it became more about providing and having a career. I got over all the need for affirmation from other people, I got over what people thought of me. I put all that kind of in my past, and just knew this was the best version of me as a baseball player.

Q: Is it a blow to your self-confidence when you have that fear of failure?

A: Well, I don’t know if you ever actually develop confidence. It can be a house sound structurally, but the wind blows, or a storm comes, I think it’s going to shake and fall probably more than likely. I think a lot of that’s built on affirmation and need for other people’s approval, and when you kind of get rid of all that and boil it down to, “What is my ultimate fear here?” … I read a couple of books, “ABC’s of Baseball” and stuff, and it’s got a letter for everything, from Anxiety, to First Pitch Strikes being an F, to Aggressive to Zeroes, and what pitchers want, throw up a Zero for any inning, so it has every letter.

A pitching coach came and asked a veteran player, “Hey, what was the worst-case scenario you could have in an inning?” “Probably walk the bases on 12 and give up a grand slam.” And he said, “OK, well you’re down four, now what are you going to do?” And that just stuck with me because that was always my fear, of having a bad start, and what am I going to do now? Well, end up going six innings, give up four runs, your team probably wins. You just kind of remove these hurdles that you think are going to stop you from having success and throw that away. The point of the story was, “OK, now that your worst fear’s out there, those four runs, now what are you going to do?”

Q: What drives you?

A: I think I’ve spent my entire career trying to figure out what the best version of me as a player was. And for me that’s been a lucrative thing. I feel like I am definitely that player now on the backside of my career because of analytics and pitch shapes and understanding hitters’ swings, and all the experience I have actually playing.

Q: What was the emotional low point during your rehab for Tommy John surgery?

A: I was pretty at peace with everything after surgery. I think my lower points were prior to surgery, being 36, having established myself in the big leagues and playing on a contender, just have your season kind of taken away from you was really tough. And not knowing what the future held, potentially missing next season, or will I ever be the same post T.J.? You have all those thoughts, those are realistic thoughts you have to objectively kind of look at.

Q: You admired pitchers such as Josh Beckett, Jamie Moyer, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt.

A: I liked taking in presence on the mound, and I think I still have that with me, of like how guys stand over the rubber, when it’s not going well, how do they act? I just kind of observed people, some people kick dirt around on the mound and felt sorry for themselves, other guys acted like they’re throwing a shutout.

Q: How important is presence on the mound?

A: I think it’s probably the No. 1 thing when I evaluate my teammates or anybody we’re playing. I like to see when people struggle. I think the character’s revealed when you struggle. So you can see a lot about a guy when he’s going through it. For instance Jonah Tong. Kid the other day doesn’t get out of the first in [his] second big league start in a big spot, and he top-stepped it for eight innings. He was out there in our dugout from top step. Could have gone and hid in a locker somewhere, but he didn’t. It speaks to his character.

Q: You mentioned Jamie Moyer — are you going to pitch into your 40s?

A: I hope so. I really enjoy pitching. Obviously I have four kids now, my oldest daughter’s 8, so I really don’t want to miss her growing up, so that’ll have to be a conversation we have when I get over the 40 mark. But yeah, I definitely want to play into the 40s, but we’ll see.

Q: Describe your mound mentality.

A: I think I’m pretty aggressive. I definitely am the person that thinks you got to strike first and you’re the offensive player although you’re the pitcher.

Q: Playing on the big, bright New York stage can scare players.

A: I definitely have seen it. Without my experience playing overseas, without my experience going to Tampa and Houston, I got a little taste of it there. And then I realize you got to be comfortable in your own skin. New Yorkers can sniff out fakeness. … If you’re authentic and you are who you are and you go play how you play, at the end of the day they just want you to win. I’m here for that, too (smile). … I hope I get a couple of more years here because I’ve really enjoyed it. There’s a lot of blue-collar people that show up to games that are passionate about baseball, and that’s rare. It’s better than a stadium that doesn’t have anybody in it, and if you ever do win something here, you’ve seen the teams that they bring back and still celebrate.

Q: What is your best single baseball moment?

A: I think playing in the World Series in ’21 [with the Astros, who lost to the Braves] was kind of a big moment for me because it seemed so far-fetched if you had told me in 2019, my last year in Korea, that you’d be back in the States in 2020, COVID would hit, you’d have a shortened season, you come into ’21, you make a team and then you end up being on a World Series team, I probably would have told you there’s no way I’m going to go in four of those six games. [Reliever] David Robertson always had a funny quote, he’s like, “You’re left-handed, just don’t quit.” I think that’s such a good motto for my career, and most guys, like if you just persistently work at your craft, and never let someone else tell you, “Oh you suck,” or whatever, and just don’t let that equate into you quitting or losing your passion for something, you will get to be a better version of yourself, you will find it. But you got to seek it for sure.

Q: Does not winning that World Series whet your appetite to win one?

A: Oh man, absolutely. Sitting in the dugout, you always have those iconic moments of the team celebrating, and very few photos of the team that lost it. But just sitting on that top step staring at now my teammate, A.J. Minter, who was on the celebrating side, it was tough. For a great season, but you literally got to the finish line, you just didn’t win.

Q: Worst baseball moment?

A: In Korea I think it was my third year, I had a lot of expectations on me to be the ace. I went through a skid, some self-inflicted, some unlucky. … Over there when you don’t succeed, there’s no minor leagues, you just get released and they replace you. And I got to a point where if this it for me, I’d like to go out on my terms. Where was I going to go? [I was] 29 at the time, 43 days in the big leagues and don’t throw 100 [mph]. They actually sent me down to the minors, they said this’ll be your last start and we’re looking for your replacement. … I gave up two home runs in the first inning … but I had to make a choice internally, am I going to continue to compete or am I going to feel sorry for myself?

Q: You got another opportunity in the big leagues there with the Lotte Giants.

A: I was like, “I’m not going to play with this fear of fail” thought process. Every pitch I was throwing with such conviction, “I don’t care where this goes, I don’t care how this turns out, I’m going to be the best teammate, I’m going to back up third base,” I’m going to do all these things however this game goes. All that anxiety, all that worry, all that stuff just went away. I ripped off 11 straight starts after that. My message to a lot of people is you’re not a victim of this, you get to throw a ball over a plate and find out.

Q: How important is it to be reliable and in a way be the glue guy of the bullpen?

A: I like a lot of my work to be behind the scenes. I feel like I do a really good job of trying to be a multiplier and trying to encourage my teammates when guys are going through it to help them seek answers and whatnot, and play a very unselfish role … understanding your role, understanding your value and how you make this team better today.

Q: Your adjustment to the bullpen with the Astros — in your second outing you got your one out in the seventh inning.

A: I go sit down, Dusty [Baker] always wore those rubber gloves, and he just gives me knucks as I’m walking by. Doesn’t say anything else. So I go sit down, I’m like, “I’m definitely going back out for the eighth.” End of the inning, I take off, I run across the line to go pitch, and Dusty’s yelling, “Hey, come back. What are you doing?” Well, then [Giants manager] Gabe Kapler comes out and he says, “No, no, no, no, no. This guy ran on the field, he’s got to throw to the first batter of the inning.”

Q: What happened?

A: So I went out there. The first batter, right-handed guy, think he hits a ground ball to third, out No. 1. So like I’m definitely out of the game now. So I’m looking at the dugout, I’m looking at the bullpen, no one’s coming. Brandon Belt comes up, I strike him out on like four pitches. I’m like, “I’m definitely done.” [Evan] Longoria’s coming up, I’m looking at the dugout, looking in the bullpen … they’re like (smile) … “Keep goin’.” So Longoria actually hits a ball like as far as you can hit one without being a homer. He hits a flyball to the track, and I was up there, “Whew!”sweating. And I come to the dugout and Dusty goes, “Hey, great job. Don’t ever do that again. If I give you knucks, that means you’re done.”

Q: At age 37, is this best version of you that you’ve ever been?

A: Honestly, you don’t know these things in sports or baseball, because you usually play banged up. … I hope most fans know that we play injured a lot, most guys, something’s bothering ’em — shoulder, elbow, knee, calf, hamstring — everybody’s dealing with something in there. And just having fixed my elbow, and how it feels now, and just knowing that it was ultimately the best thing to happen to me for a reset to continue my career, but it was a couple of steps back to go surge forward. To answer your question, I am excited about what is to come for sure.

Q: Whatever comes to mind: Nolan McLean.

A: Very athletic. He’s spunky. He’s edgy, in a good way. Very confident in himself. He fits right in. He was meant to be a big leaguer.

Q: Tong.

A: Just a very (laugh) young, funny kid. From Canada. We’re definitely giving him some life experiences in the big leagues. We had him try wine for the first time.

Q: And as a pitcher?

A: Really electric stuff … super competitive … I love that he has some flair and some personality to him on the mound, I think that’s lost in the game today. It’s hard to play with emotion all the time, but I think he does a good job of that.

Q: Brandon Sproat.

A: I think Sproat has really surprised me, in a really good way. I saw all these guys coming through the minors this year so I have a little different insight. I got to see them in their natural habitat where they’re really comfortable, they were there before me, they were with their peers essentially age-wise. So I got to kind of take them in, and Sproat’s always been quiet and humble. I feel like he’s really developed a lot, I think he has six pitches now, he’s made some big strides, and credit to him on his attention to detail. I know his season didn’t start the way he wanted to, but I kind of caught him right when he turned the corner.

Q: Juan Soto.

A: Always invite him into the bullpen wherever we are. When we make a pitching change, he goes in the bullpen at home, so he’ll come grab water or sunflower seeds. How many position players have been to all the bullpens? Very, very bright. It’s just a very high IQ way to play the game.

Q: Where were you when Pete Alonso hit his playoff home run in Milwaukee?

A: I was on my couch at home. The hitter will tell you everything, and Pete kind of stood there for a second. I’m hoping we have a lot more of those coming up. You got guys that can handle the spotlight, and it should be valued more than it is across the league because this is a tough place to play, it takes special people to do that.

Q: In South Korea you tried to throw like Chris Sale?

A: I actually punched out a lot of guys. Only reason I didn’t keep doing it is my elbow started bothering me so I stopped.

Q: When did baseball become your boyhood dream?

A: I was always undersized. When I went to high school I was probably 5-5, 100 pounds. And I grew 9 inches between my sophomore and junior year. I played football, I always had to be tough, but I was never like the best player on my team until probably my senior year of high school, so I was always scrappy. I was a good athlete, I could really run. So I found my place in the sport just contributing from either the leadoff spot or the nine hole. And when I pitched, I always threw strikes. It was the only way I was going to pitch, I didn’t throw hard, didn’t strike out a ton of guys, but I could pitch.

Q: Favorite New York City things?

A: Liberty Bagels. Always go to Central Park and walk. I like going to watch those men beer league softball games, I’ll go sit in the stands and watch for an inning or two. I just like seeing people with a joy of the game. They’re not getting paid to be out there. They’re choosing to be out there Wednesday afternoon or Saturday morning. I think that’s really cool.

Q: The Uvalde school shooting hit you harder than most.

A: Obviously terrible. I went to that elementary school. Not to get too elaborate or too emotional about it, but a lot of loss for a lot of families that I grew up with.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Jesus, George Washington, Babe Ruth.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “The Replacements.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Keanu Reeves.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Scarlett Johansson.

Q: Favorite singer?

A: Morgan Wallen.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Steak and potatoes.

Q: Bourbon?

A: Big bourbon guy. Haven’t actually tried it yet, but a lot of hype, it’s like a $2000 bottle, but King of Kentucky. Have probably a 3- or 400-hundred bottle collection.

Q: Gunsmith?

A: Yeah, have a gunsmith license, and split a rifle company with my brother (Exile).

Q: Fatherhood?

A: I love it. Obviously have your kids who’ve done nothing but grow up in the sport. My son’s probably the reason why we signed back with the Mets. Big Polar Bear Pete fan, we had him on every night. He was like, “Dad, we got to be Mets.” “Well we may be somewhere else next year.” “No, Mets. We’re going to be Mets.”

Q: When did he say that?

A: All during rehab.

Q: How old is he?

A: He just turned 4.

Q: You know what a playoff mentality entails. Define what this team will need to make it to a World Series.

A: Honestly? Since I’ve been here, it’s been a grind. The last 30 days or so I feel like we’ve been playing playoff baseball, and maybe the results don’t show it, but the way we’ve approached it, the way the guys are preparing … and ultimately you just got to get hot. You have to hit, you got to be able to score, you got to be able to overcome. They score two, you got to go answer with three. … It’s a very momentum-oriented game, you got to have some luck involved, super-competitive at-bats, you got to catch some breaks. You got to have all hands on deck. And I thought Tuesday what we did with stack starters was a step in the direction of we’re ready for playoff baseball, we’re already starting to do it, because we put two of our better starters together as if we were playing in Game 1 or 2 or 3 of a series.

Q: Is that something you can sense, a playoff mentality?

A: I just keep telling guys stop looking down, start looking up. You always should be trying to think about what’s ahead of you, and who you’re chasing, and not so much about what everybody else is doing behind you. If you go handle your business, and you’re winning, don’t worry about anything else. It’s just a thought process of controlling what you can control, and I think we’re doing a good job of that.

Q: You seem to be tuned in to the human mind.

A: I spend a lot of time evaluating my thoughts and other people’s body language, and I do think I’ve always had an intuitive way to process people. I’m not saying I always have the right words, but I do usually kind of find a way to get the most out of people or encourage them in a way that gets them kind of going in the right direction, and I’ve always taken a lot of pride in that, because I genuinely care about my teammates and other people and want them to succeed, and sometimes, we’re all human, you go through things. Sometimes things have answers, sometimes they don’t. I think that’s a thing that we all have to understand and process, just because you’re having a bit of bad luck, don’t make it worse by changing what you’re doing, sometimes you just got to keep plowing ahead.

Q: Does psychological warfare manifest itself for you on the mound?

A: (Laugh) The way I do my glove and stuff and the way I stand there is all intentional. I’ve had pitches relayed before, I’ve tipped before, I’ve done those things and lost games and whatnot. Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you kind of deal — I’ve taken that to heart or I’m not going to let you pick pitches from me, I’m not going to let you do these things from me, so that’s my way of handling that and dealing with that.

Q: What do you like best about this team?

A: I would say we’re battle-tested. This group has been through a lot, from all the ups they had early in the year where winning felt like it was supposed to happen, it was easy, the media was completely on their side thinking this is the best team to ever play baseball. Then you kind of fall off the cliff with some injuries, some things you can control, some things you can’t, some bad luck, some evening out of stats of back to reality. And then that’s why you play 162. I think of Juan, especially early in the year, everybody was on him about “Was he worth the contact?” and all those things (chuckle), and now he’s potentially putting up a Barry Bonds season, might even go 40-40 in his first year here. I always joke with him, I’m like, “Maybe next year they’ll give you a little longer leash, you know (smile)?”

Q: Your message to Mets fans about Brooks Raley and the Mets World Series chase.

A: Well, a) I’ve really enjoyed the three years I’ve had here, It’s a very cool city and great fans. Love the passion, the good and the bad. As far as pursuit, don’t ever count us out … all the support and just true belief will go a long ways.